White House

Time to make some room in the binders, collectors ... Bernie Sanders is now getting a baseball card based on his 'fit at Wednesday's inauguration -- and it's pretty amazing!!

The guys at Topps just designed a piece based on the incredibly meme-able shot of Sanders at Joe Biden's historic event ... offering up the one-of-a-kind card for $9.99.

As part of the Topps Now program, collectors have until Jan. 28 to purchase the card ... and Topps will then print off however many were sold and send them out.

The beauty of it all for collectors? Topps says the Jan. 21 to Jan. 28 timeframe is the ONLY times in history they'll produce this card -- so it could make the thing super valuable down the road.

Unique spin on the hobby, right??

Sanders' iconic shot at POTUS' festivities won't just be memorialized in a card form, though ... he's also getting a bobblehead treatment!

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame unveiled Thursday they've created a piece based on Sanders' mask, jacket and gloves for $25 a pop!

Those bombs bursting in air for President Biden's Inauguration celebration required tens of thousands of fireworks to ensure his big day ended with a bang.

The company behind Wednesday night's fireworks show that lit up the sky while Katy Perry sang her hit, "Firework," tells TMZ ... a total of 35,000 shells exploded around the Washington Monument.

Garden State Fireworks owner August Santore tell us work began in earnest last Thursday, with a 25-man crew gearing up for the grand finale of the "Celebrating America" primetime special by setting up launching pads at 14 different locations.

With 35,000 fireworks going off, that's a lot of shells and debris to pick up ... and we're told the cleanup crew is aiming to be done by Saturday if all goes well.

The show went off without a hitch as the new Prez and First Lady soaked it all in from a White House balcony. Uncle Sam's relied on Garden State Fireworks for years, they've scored 8 straight contracts for the annual 4th of July Celebration at the National Mall.

BTW ... those 4th of July firework shows are much bigger than what we saw Inauguration Day, as this show was only 5 minutes compared to the 20-minute variety for Independence Day.

While GSF did most of the heavy lifting, we're told they also worked with a live special events company, Strictly FX, that was hired by the Inauguration Committee.

Amanda Gorman's poem at President Biden's Inauguration didn't just make her a household name, it put her at the top of Amazon's Best-Sellers list.

Hours after reading her poem, "The Hill We Climb" and becoming the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, Gorman couldn't contain her joy as she learned her books -- "The Hill We Climb" and "Change Sings" -- clocked in at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on Amazon sales.

What's really impressive about that is the books won't even be out until September 21 ... everyone's just pre-ordering now.

That's a massive accomplishment in such a short time especially when you consider this -- Barack Obama's "A Promised Land" is at No. 4, Kamala Harris' "Superheroes Are Everywhere" is at No. 8 and Michelle Obama's "Becoming" is at No. 12.

The 22-year-old West L.A. native and Harvard grad got a HUGE plug from 44 ... who tweeted, "On a day for the history books, @TheAmandaGorman delivered a poem that more than met the moment. Young people like her are proof that 'there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it; if only we're brave enough to be it.'"

It should be noted ... Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Lin-Manuel Miranda also shared her poem, which scored rave reviews and was trending just seconds after delivering it.

How'd Steph Curry show love to Joe Biden on inauguration day??

ULTRA-RARE KICKS, BABY!!!

The Golden State Warriors superstar busted out his 2-of-a-kind, famous Under Armour Curry 3 shoes for warmups before the Dubs took on the Spurs on Wednesday ... and the sneaks are clearly still as dope as ever.

FYI -- Curry teamed up with UA back in 2017 to make the special shoes -- creating them as a way to honor the end of Barack Obama's 2-term presidency.

Reportedly, only 2 pairs were ever made -- one for Steph and one for Obama -- and they were awesome ... featuring the presidential seal on the tongue as well as other nods to the former president all over them.

Curry hadn't been seen in the shoes since '17 ... but he apparently kept good care of them -- 'cause after Biden had been sworn in Wednesday morning, Steph took the court in the feet heat!

Curry -- who's big-time pals with Obama and a huge supporter of Biden -- laced them up pregame ... before transitioning into another pair of his signature shoes for game time.

Seems the POTUS kicks were good luck ... Curry balled out against San Antonio, scoring 26 points and adding 7 assists in the win.

Donald Trump's final piece of Presidential biz has Detroit's imprisoned ex-Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, enjoying his first taste of freedom in 7 years.

Kilpatrick got sprung from federal prison Wednesday and reunited with family members at Detroit's airport after Trump commuted his sentence. He had been serving a 28-year sentence for corruption crimes while he was Mayor.

Though he's a free man now, his 24 felony convictions still stand ... and he's still on the hook for $195,000 owed to the IRS and $1.5 million to Detroit.

If ya don't know ... Kilpatrick was dubbed the city's "Hip-Hop Mayor," but from his first term, he was dogged with scandals -- both accusations of misusing funds and a text-messaging sex scandal with his chief of staff.

Then, in 2013, he was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, fraud, extortion and tax crimes in a scheme the government called the "Kilpatrick enterprise."

Despite all of that, Kwame still had a slew of supporters in the D who felt his sentence was too harsh and pushed for a commutation. Trump came through for him, and in shortening his sentence noted ... "During his incarceration, Mr. Kilpatrick has taught public speaking classes and has led Bible Study groups with his fellow inmates."

President Trump came through for Lil Wayne with a full pardon that gets him off the hook for a gun charge that could've meant serious prison time, and rapper Kodak Black also got clemency with a commutation of his sentence.

Wayne's pardon announcement included a statement of support by Brett Berish of Sovereign Brands, who described him as "trustworthy, kind-hearted and generous." The pardon statement then reads, "Mr. Carter has exhibited this generosity through commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of foodbanks."

Deion Sanders, also a supporter of the pardon, referred to Lil Wayne as "a provider for his family, a friend to many, a man of faith, a natural giver to the less fortunate, a waymaker [and] a game changer."

Weezy's pardon came just hours before the sun set on Trump's Presidency ... and it's just one of a stack of pardons, including Kodak Black. Black, who was sentenced to 46 months in prison for making a false statement on a Federal document, served nearly half his sentence.

The pardon statement notes he has been charitable in various ways, "such as providing educational resources to students and families of fallen law enforcement officers and the underprivileged." It goes on to note KB has provided funding to daycare centers, helped with food banks and worked with underprivileged children. And, the statement notes Kodak donated $50k to Dave Portnoy's Barstool Fund, which provides financial assistance to struggling businesses in the wake of COVID.

Wayne endorsed Trump in the final days of the 2020 election campaign -- posing for a photo, talking up Trump's criminal justice reform efforts and his proposed "platinum plan" to benefit the Black community.

With the pardon ... Weezy no longer has to worry about his federal gun case. As we reported ... he pled guilty in federal court last month to illegally possessing a loaded weapon while traveling to Miami on a private jet a year earlier.

He hadn't been sentenced, but faced the possibility of up to 10 years. That's all in Wayne's rearview mirror now.

It's been a looooong journey, but Joe Biden's big day is finally here -- he'll be sworn in as 46th President of the United States in an inauguration ceremony unlike any other in American history ... and you can watch it live right here.

The President-elect and Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, are set to be sworn in Wednesday in D.C. shortly after noon, and then Biden will deliver his first presidential address to the nation.

Along the way during the "America United"-themed Inauguration Day, many of the normal ceremonial displays, tributes to the troops, A-list performances and former presidents will be featured, but otherwise ... it will be far from normal.

That's because COVID-19 continues to ravage the country, and because 2 weeks ago ... pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol and wreaked havoc in a coup attempt that resulted in multiple deaths.

For a combination of those reasons, Biden's inauguration will not draw a large crowd -- in fact, his team hopes it's the smallest ever, with folks opting to watch at home -- nor will it be followed up by a series of inauguration balls.

Instead, there will be a heavy police and security presence ... as the threat of more violence continues to loom large following the Capitol riots.

And, of course, Biden's inauguration will be different due to the fact for the first time since Andrew Johnson left office in 1869 ... the outgoing President, Donald Trump, is choosing to skip it. VP Mike Pence will attend, along with past presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and their former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton.

If all goes well though, the only other big news of the day will be the performances of Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Springsteen and Garth Brooks, a virtual parade ... and the inauguration television special called "Celebrating America" hosted by Tom Hanks.

Hopefully, America gets that lucky.

The Tiger King is not free to run wild again ... President Trump snubbed Joe Exotic's request to be pardoned, and he and his team aren't taking it well.

What seemingly started as a pipe dream way back in April 2020 -- when Trump said he'd "take a look" at pardoning Joe -- turned out to be exactly that. Joe's team tells TMZ ... "140 million Joe Exotic fans had a hard time getting out of bed this morning."

Yeah, that 'Tiger King' viewers stat might be inflated -- and assumes all of them were rooting for Joe's release -- but you get the point ... they're bummed.

His team added, "We are as disappointed that the President did not sign Joe’s pardon, as we were confident yesterday that he would." Joe's team adds ... it's only because of his fans that the pardon was even a possibility.

As we reported ... shortly after Trump's comment, Team Tiger -- led by P.I. Eric Love -- produced a video asking to free Joe and hopped in a customized tour bus to head to D.C. in hopes of pitching Trump for a pardon.

Those early efforts didn't yield success, but Love and the team were persistent ... and he returned to D.C. in September to hand-deliver Joe's pardon request. As we reported ... the 257-page case to Trump included Joe's claims that he'd been sexually assaulted in prison.

Again, there was silence from Trump about a possible pardon, but Joe continued to publicly plead for one as recently as 2 weeks ago ... when he asked to be pardoned in time to attend his father's funeral.

It didn't happen, and Joe's patience and persistence was all for naught ... because he didn't make the cut for Trump's list of 73 pardons and 70 commutations. In other news -- Steve Bannon, Lil Wayne, Kodak Black and the co-founder of Death Row Records all did.

As you know ... Exotic's been doing hard time for the murder-for-hire plot, and though he's maintained his innocence, he'll remain behind bars.

Team Tiger says they're not giving up though ... and spent 2 hours on the phone with Joe this morning listening to his Direct Appeal Oral Arguments. Love says they "will never leave Joe’s side and will continue to work until his freedom is gained."

Donald Trump's final use of "YMCA" during a public political event did NOT go unnoticed by the guys who originally sang it -- and while they're still pissed ... they're also thankful that, for now, this is the end of his tradition.

The Village People tell TMZ ... "We asked him to cease and desist long ago. However, since he's a bully, our request was ignored." It's true -- TVP have repeatedly made clear they're not down with DT constantly using their most famous tune ... but he's persisted.

The group adds, "Thankfully he's now out of office, so it would seem his abusive use of our music has finally ended. We hope to spearhead a change in copyright law that will give artists and publishers more control over who can and cannot use our music in the public space. Currently there is no limit to blanket licensing."

That's interesting ... because that's not something that many people know or something that artists vow to change. Basically, the reason Trump has been able to, for the most part, get away with playing music from so many artists who don't sign off is because ... it's legal.

The Village People's comments here touch on copyright law -- which we won't dig into too deeply -- but essentially ... it's usually fine to play copyrighted songs in places like stadiums that have public performance licenses -- which is where Trump often played these songs.

The Village People -- and probably several other musicians, like Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, and countless others -- might be happy he won't have reason to do this anymore with their music, but in light of Trump promising to come back, they may have to revisit this issue again ... one day.

Donald Trump is departing the White House for the final time as President, en route to a send-off party he requested as he leaves behind a tumultuous legacy that will certainly be ... remembered.

DT is about to board the Marine One chopper early Wednesday morning on the South Lawn, where a few of White House staffers are standing by to say deuces to POTUS for good. He'll be on his way to Joint Base Andrews -- just outside of D.C., where he's putting on a farewell ceremony for himself.

Invites for the event were sent out to Trump's remaining allies, but details for what exactly is in store were hazy. The buzz has been 45's looking for a major military-style parade, before he boards Air Force One. We'll see if he gets it, and who shows up ... it's slated to begin at 8 AM ET.

One person who won't be attending for certain is his Vice President Mike Pence. He's said he will who be at Joe Biden's inauguration ... presumably representing the administration. This is the first time in over a century that an outgoing Prez has blown off the Inauguration Day transfer of power.

In any case, once his farewell gala is done, Trump's flying south for the winter -- and beyond -- to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

His decision to bolt outta D.C, at the crack of dawn isn't all that surprising considering the hot political (and possibly legal) water Trump's found himself in during these final weeks in office.

Of course, he's already been impeached for inciting the Jan. 6 riot and storming of the Capitol -- and could face a Senate trial.

The Senate could convict him, and also vote to bar him from holding any federal office again -- due to his historic double impeachment -- which would upend any potential Presidential run, which he's suggested he might do.

Needless to say, this is most likely not the last we'll see of Trump ... impeachment aside, there's wide speculation he could face criminal charges for the riot, business dealings in NY state and even Hollywood punishment from the SAG-AFTRA union.

Plus, he's talked about possibly starting his own news network. We guess the only place you won't see him, as of now, is Twitter.

We suppose there's nothing left to say except, goodbye 45. Yes, his own catchphrase comes to mind too, but we'll spare you. 👋🏽.

The Golden State Warriors are finally returning to the White House ... courtesy of a one-of-a-kind gift to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris from NBA superstar Stephen Curry!!!

The Oakland native and HUGE Warriors fan is set to become the 49th -- and first female -- VP in the history of the United States on Wednesday ... and Curry came through with an unforgettable present that'll look reaaaally good hanging up in Harris' White House office.

The 3-time NBA champ surprised Harris with a video prior to Wednesday's inauguration ... presenting her with her very own #49 Warriors jersey with a "Madame VP" nameplate and an autographed message from Curry.

Of course, the Warriors' recent championship teams famously boycotted visiting the 1600 Penn during Donald Trump's presidency ... so it'll most likely be the first time any sort of positivity about the Dubs has entered the White House in a LONG time.

"Madame Vice President, I'm not saying you've got to put this up in your office at the White House, but it probably would be a good idea," Curry said in the video.

"Congratulations! Blazing your own path, we are all rooting and supporting you the whole way."

Worth noting -- the Dubs have recently moved to San Francisco, but are paying homage to their former home of Oakland with a special City Edition jersey this season ... which is what Harris received.

The soon-to-be VP pretty much freaked out in excitement over the gesture ... saying, "This means so much to me, you guys."

Curry also showed love for Harris following the results of the election in November ... sending her an autographed Curry #30 jersey. So, yeah, she may need a bigger closet just for her Dubs merch.

After Kim Kardashian West was successful in lobbying President Trump to free Alice Marie Johnson, she went to work on doing the same for many others, including Chris Young ... and Trump delivered.

The Prez used his final day in office to grant pardons and commutations, and among the list of prisoners he commuted is Young ... who Kim began championing in 2018.

As you may recall ... Kim visited The White House in September 2018 -- a few months after Alice's release -- to continue to fight for criminal justice reform, and she lasered in on Young's case.

Much like Alice, Young was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2014 for non-violent drug offenses -- weed and cocaine possession -- as part of Tennessee's 3 strikes law. He was just 22 at the time.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Kim stayed involved with Young's legal team since her WH meeting and continued to bring attention to the case. We're told Alice was also involved helping Chris -- they share the same attorney, Brittany Barnett.

The announcement from The White House says, "Mr. Young's many supporters describe him as an intelligent, positive person who takes full responsibility for his actions ..." While Kim was not mentioned among the several names of criminal justice reform advocates who assisted Young, her amplification of the case on social media certainly brought it much needed attention.

The statement says Young "lacked a meaningful first chance in life due to what another Federal judge called an "undeniably tragic childhood." adding the commutation gives Young a second chance.

If you're thinking Joe Biden's Presidency is behind the 8 ball right off the bat thanks to the great divide in our nation ... buck up, there's reason for optimism, according to a guy who knows his stuff.

Dr. Allan Lichtman -- Professor of History at American University -- joined "TMZ Live" to share his take on what Biden's up against ... and spell out exactly what it's going to take for him to have a successful administration.

The prof. offers some great perspective here ... he came armed with loaded historical examples of past Presidents who took over during tumultuous times (does 2000 ring a bell?), but found a way to govern effectively and bring people together.

Dr. Lichtman thinks Biden can do the same if he takes a page out of a legendary POTUS playbook. Hint: It's not JFK or Biden's buddy, Barack.

Bottom line is ... Lichtman thinks both Democrats and Republicans have 2 major problems to solve right away -- the pandemic and the economy -- and everyone can benefit if they work together.

Sen. Lindsey Graham -- one of President Trump's staunchest allies -- says he's riding with Biden, at least for Inauguration Day ... but what happens after that is kinda murky.

We got the Senator from South Carolina Tuesday at Reagan National Airport, and asked him about Wednesday morning's festivities, which on the surface seem like a logistical nightmare for him. His buddy Trump's getting an early sendoff ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland -- but of course, he's also on the guestlist for President-elect Biden's swearing-in on Capitol Hill.

Graham told us he's already decided to attend Biden's Inauguration. That's kinda surprising, considering a week ago he and Trump were still tight -- LG even flew to Texas with POTUS.

So, is he ready for the backlash from Trump supporters? Ask his platoon of bodyguards!! The Senator was flanked by at least 8 very serious-looking dudes.

It was a much different image from his last time in this terminal -- last week Trumpers gave him the business, blasting him as a traitor.

Despite his Wednesday plans, Graham's not completely turning his back on Trump. In fact, he's trying to get Sen. Chuck Schumer to dismiss the 2nd impeachment of Trump ... according to Politico. So, he's clearly not on board with voting to convict 45.

Donald Trump's pettiness apparently knows no bounds, because Joe Biden isn't getting what Trump himself got ... a government aircraft taking him to D.C. for his inauguration.

Biden just boarded a private jet for the short flight to Washington. Protocol has been for the incoming President to get the courtesy of a military aircraft. Aside from the fact this tradition is rooted in the transfer of power, it's gotta be safer, with all the bells and whistles that come with it.

FYI ... Donald Trump was afforded this courtesy when he flew to Washington on January 19, 2017, the day before he was inaugurated.

This is one in a series of protocol breaks. Among the others ...

-- Trump hasn't called Biden to congratulate him on winning the election

-- Trump has not invited Biden to the White House

-- Trump has offered tepid cooperation in the transition, making it much harder for Biden and his team to prepare for the ascendency to power.

-- Trump will not greet Biden on January 20th for tea at the White House before Biden heads to the Capitol

-- Trump will not attend Biden's inauguration

One more tradition ... an outgoing President leaves a note for the incoming President in the Oval Office. Trump was effusive about the note Obama left him. Joe Biden ... don't hold your breath.

Joe Biden got choked up during a sendoff from his home state of Delaware, and the reason for his emotions -- his late son, Beau, was at the center of his thoughts.

The President-elect got a farewell ceremony Tuesday at the Delaware National Guard Joint Force HQ ... it's named after Beau Biden -- who was a Major with the Delaware National Guard.

During his remarks, Joe teared up thanking the state officials who intro'd him ... plus, his fellow Delawareans whom he's come to know so well over the years as a U.S. Senator. He told anecdotes about the Amtrak train he used to ride from DE to D.C. ... and how he'd wait on a Black conductor to take him to his job each day.

Joe says things have come full circle now that he's got Kamala Harris at his side.

He also quoted Irish novelist James Joyce, who once told a friend that when his time came to pass ... Dublin would be inscribed on his heart. Joe said the same applied to him, except it would be Delaware written on his.

One last thing that was pretty touching ... Joe said he regrets the fact Beau wasn't around, because he felt he could've been President himself.